Jim Knowles hired as Tennessee defensive coordinator for Josh Heupel
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Penn State's Jim Knowles has replaced Tim Banks as Tennessee's new defensive coordinator, UT announced on Dec. 11.
Players were told about Knowles' hiring during a team meeting.
On paper, it's a home run hire by Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. Knowles is regarded as one of the best veteran defensive coordinators in college football.
A year ago, Penn State hired Knowles away from Ohio State and made him the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football at $3.1 million per year.
Knowles, 60, has routinely coached one of the nation's best defenses over the past decade, first at Oklahoma State (2018-21) and then Ohio State (2022-24). He also served as Duke defensive coordinator (2010-17) under former Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, and he was Western Michigan's defensive coordinator (2001-02).
Along the way, Knowles was also an Ivy League head coach for his alma mater. He posted a 26-34 record at Cornell from 2004-09.
Jim Knowles' Ohio State defense beat Tennessee, won national title
Tennessee is most familiar with his work at Ohio State. He built the elite defense that helped the Buckeyes win the 2024 national championship, which included a 42-17 win over Tennessee in a College Football Playoff first-round game. Knowles' defense held the Vols to only 256 yards of total offense in that game.
In 2021, Knowles' Oklahoma State squad ranked ninth in scoring defense (18.1 ppg). In 2024, his Ohio State unit led the nation in scoring defense (12.9 ppg) and total defense (254.6 ypg). But it could steady progress to reach that level. Knowles has a reputation of coaching a complex scheme, but it pays off over time.
At Penn State this season, the Nittany Lions ranked 37th in scoring defense (21.4 ppg) and 34th in total defense (334.3 ypg) while dealing with the fallout of coach James Franklin's firing.
Coincidentally, Banks was Penn State's defensive coordinator before Heupel hired him on his original UT staff in 2021. But Banks and Knowles never coached together.
Tennessee fired Banks after Tennessee's defense took a downturn in 2025. The Vols allowed at least 30 points in seven of eight SEC games. They ranked 92nd nationally in scoring defense (28.8 ppg) and 116th in pass defense (248.8 ypg).
That disappointing performance came a year after Banks was a finalist for the Broyles Award finalist and signed a contract extension that paid him $2.15 million annually through the 2027 season. In 2024, Banks guided the stingiest Vols defense since the 1998 national title team, allowing only 16.1 points per game.
But that success wasn't sustained, and the decline started with that CFP loss to Knowles' Ohio State team.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jim Knowles hired as Tennessee football defensive coordinator for Josh Heupel
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